Seismic imaging technologies have probably had the most profound impact in enabling development of ACG and Shah Deniz. Without the continuous, incremental innovations that BP has brought to the Caspian, developing its giant fields would have been like operating blind.
Seismic imaging allows us to see below sea and overburden rock, into the reservoirs which hold hydrocarbon resources. It helps locate and characterise the hydrocarbons, and used in 4D mode (where the 4th dimension is time), it helps monitor how the reservoir is changing as oil, water and gas move within.
Seismic technologies divide into acquisition technologies, like Ocean Bottom Seismic or ISS® (Independent Simultaneous Source) technology, and processing technologies, like Full Waveform Inversion and Finite Difference Modelling. All seek to improve the quality of the image received of the reservoir as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible.